Wrecking-machine



UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL NEFF, OF OSHKOSH, "WISCONSIN.

WRECKtNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,535, dated May 24, 1887.

Application filed April 5, 1886. Serial No.197fi88. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL NEFF, a citi zen of the United States, residing at the city of Oshkosh, in the county of \Vinnebago and State of \Visconsin, have invented a new and useful Wrecking-llIaehine,of which the following is a full description.

My invention is to be fastened to and used in combination with a floating barge; and the object of my invention is to fasten the barge to the bottom of a rivelglake, or body of water, so that power can be applied from the barge to pull a wrecked ship off from shore. I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which--,

Figure 1 is a rear or stern View; Fig. 2, a side view, and Fig. 3 a top view.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the barge, to both sides of which the wooden legs B, G, D, and E are attached by bolts at one end of each, allowing the other end to be raised or lowered. The legs turn upon the bolts, which are very heavy and are fastened very strongly through the end of each leg to the side of the barge, the ends of said legs being rounded and resting in rounded reeesses a in the side of the barge. Each leg toward the bow of the boat is bolted lower down the side of the boat, so that when raised alongside said legs are parallel and on a plane with each other, so that when the barge is moved they do not impede its motion to any great extent. The legs are a proportionate distance'from each other, made of hard wood,

and may be of any length in proportion to size of barge and depth of water-should be about thelength of barge. The number of legs may vary aecording'to the size of the barge and the requirements of the machine. In ordinary machines four legs on each side are sufficient. These legs B, G, D, and E are raised and lowered by means of the iron chains I L LL, Fig. 2, working through ordinary sheaves or pulleys,S S S S, and around ordinary capstans H, H H H, to which hand-power is applied.

F F F, Figs. 1 and 2, are shoes attached to the lower end of the legs to prevent them from sinking too deeply into sandy or muddy bottom.

K K, Fig. 1, are cross or stay chains attached from each leg to the opposite side of the barge (running around and under bottom of barge) to keep the legs from swinging sidewise or spreading.

I is an ordinary beam used,by dropping, to first stop the barge before lowering the legs. This beam is used to stop the bow ofthe barge, and then the stern is swung in direct line with the wreck before the legs are lowered. The beam also aids in holding the boat and israised by means of the chain P.

J, Figs. 2 and 3, is an ordinary tow-post used to attach the barge to a tug-boat by means of a tow-rope, in order to tow the barge from one place to another.

G G G G, Figs. 2 and 3, are bits or cleats to which ropes and blocks or pulleys are fastened in order to pull off a wrecked ship.

The dotted lines, Fig. 2, show the position of the legs when raised alongside ofthe barge, so the barge can then be' easily moved from place to place. The legs being fastened at one end to the barge, it is easier and'requires less power to raise the other end alongside than to raise the whole leg in the manner of raising the beam I.

The wreck is intended to be to the left and astern of the barge, Fig. 2, and in a direct line with theline of the barge. The legs,when lowered tothe bottom of river, lake, or ocean,

if a proper depth of water is selected, are at an acute'angle with the bottom of the barge toward the stern and wreck, as indicated in Fig. 2. This will tend to morestrongly fasten the barge, because the force applied from the stern to the tackle attached to cleats G G G for the purpose of pulling off the wreck will have a tendency to embed the legs more deeply into the bottom, and not be as liable to drag the barge or break the legs as if they were at right angles with the boat similar to the beam I, and more force can be so applied without breaking the legs or dragging the barge than if said legs were at right angles.

The lower ends of the legs and beam are covered with iron and made sharp, thereby adapting the machine to stony bottoms.

The legs-being on both sides of the barge,it is impossible for it to swing around, and there being the same number of legs on each side, it is not necessary to have the barge. exactly in a direct line with the wreck.

The legs, working and turning in recesses a as shown in Fig. 2, have a tendency to strengthen the machine and strengthen the fastening of the legs, because when the machine is at work \Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a wrecking machine, the combination, with a barge, of a series of legs pivotally attached to the sides thereof, each leg toward the bow of the barge being attached lower down than the adjacent leg, shoes F on said legs, chains connected with the free ends of the legs, sheaves over which said chains pass, and capstans A, substantially as set forth.

SAMUEL NEFF.

.Vitnesses:

JAMES H. MERRILL, CHARLES BARBER. 

